Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Telecommunications: Rural Areas

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in expanding communications network coverage in rural areas; and what plans they have to share the resources used by the Emergency Services Network to achieve such coverage.

Baroness Barran: The Government’s £1 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) agreement with the Mobile Network Operators, will see the operators collectively increase 4G mobile coverage to 95% by the end of the programme. While the programme is still in its early stages, we anticipate that areas of the UK will see improvements in coverage long before its completion. On 27 January 2021, the operators O2, Three and Vodafone announced a joint venture to build and share 222 new mobile masts to boost rural coverage across the United Kingdom and deliver the first stage of the SRN. This will see 124 new sites built in Scotland, 33 in Wales, 11 in Northern Ireland, and 54 in England.Furthermore, on 24 February, EE announced it will be expanding 4G in more than 500 areas in this year to improve rural connectivity across the UK as part of the programme. This will include 333 in England, 132 in Scotland, 76 in Wales, and 38 in Northern Ireland. 110 areas have already been upgraded since the SRN deal was signed, with a further 469 to follow this year in the first phase of the programme.The Government is committed to delivering value for money for the taxpayer by sharing infrastructure where possible for the Shared Rural Network. The Home Office will make the Extended Area Service (EAS) infrastructure, which is part of the new Emergency Services Network (ESN), available to all mobile operators for deployment as part of SRN. In some specific cases, SRN site upgrades may not be possible due to insurmountable practical or cost barriers.

Department for Education

Overseas Students: Africa

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students from African countries are enrolled to study in UK universities.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled in higher education. Latest statistics refer to the academic year 2019/20.Counts of student enrolments at UK Higher Education Providers (HEPs) are available by level of study and region of domicile for the academic years 2014/15 to 2019/20 in Table 28 of HESA’s Higher Education Student Data pages: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-28.In the academic year 2019/20, there were 33,290 undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled at UK HEPs who were domiciled in Africa prior to study.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the free speech duties they intend to place on universities will prohibit the implementation by universities of the duties placed on them under the Prevent programme.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, set out new measures to strengthen free speech and academic freedom at universities in England on 16 February 2021, in order to stamp out unlawful silencing on campuses. The new measures set out in the policy paper will help to ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive.Higher education providers will continue to be subject to the Prevent duty under Section 26(1) of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The government is clear that the Prevent Duty should not be used to suppress free speech; rather, it requires providers, when exercising their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. There is no prescription from government (or the Office for Students) in regard to what action providers should take once they have had due regard. The legislation imposing the Prevent duty in relation to higher education specifically requires that providers must have particular regard to their duty to ensure freedom of speech and to the importance of academic freedom. As they already do, providers will continue to balance their legal duties, both in terms of ensuring freedom of speech and academic freedom, and also of protecting student and staff welfare.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their proposals to champion freedom of speech in universities extends to (1) hate speech, and (2) antisemitic speech, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: My right hon. Friend, the Sectary of State for Education, announced new measures to strengthen free speech and academic freedom at universities in England on 16 February 2021, in order to stamp out unlawful silencing on campuses. The new measures set out in the policy paper will help to ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive. The policy paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-free-speech-and-academic-freedom.However, the right to free speech does not include the right to harass others, or to incite violence or terrorism. The government has always been very clear that there is no place in our society, including in higher education, for hatred or any form of harassment, unlawful discrimination or racism, including antisemitism. Universities have clear responsibilities in this regard: they and other higher education providers should be at the forefront of tackling hatred.In October 2020, the Secretary of State wrote to all higher education providers in England urging adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. It is estimated that at least 31 additional institutions have adopted the definition since this letter, with more indicating their intention to adopt. We have been clear that adopting the IHRA definition sends a clear and important signal to students and staff that antisemitism is taken seriously and it will not be tolerated. The IHRA ​definition allows providers better to understand and recognise incidents of antisemitism, which helps them​ to address hatred or unlawful discrimination in higher education settings. We will continue to call on providers to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.The government does not see a conflict between protecting freedom of speech and adopting the IHRA definition. Indeed, our strengthened protections for free speech are likely to support Jewish students who on a number of occasions have had their freedom of speech curtailed by others. Universities have clear legal responsibilities regarding discrimination and harassment, and must balance these with their legal duties to protect free speech.We will continue to work across government to ensure that racism and religious hatred of any kind is not tolerated anywhere, including in our world-leading universities.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Insulation

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tosuspendrepossession of leasehold properties untilpotentially dangerous cladding in such properties has been replaced.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government has announced a globally unprecedented investment in building safety and hundreds of thousands of leaseholders will be protected from the cost of replacing unsafe cladding on their homes.  On 10 February the Government announced it will provide an additional £3.5 billion grant funding for removal of unsafe cladding on buildings over 18 metres, which brings the total investment in building safety to an unprecedented £5 billion.  Lower-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres, with a lower risk to safety, will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal through a generous new financing scheme. As part of this financing scheme, no leaseholder will pay more than £50 per month towards the cost of cladding remediation.This builds on steps already taken to support leaseholders, including £1.6 billion of funding to remediate unsafe cladding, the £30 million waking watch fund to help end excessive costs and new legislation in the Building Safety Bill which will ensure homes are made and kept safer in future.The schemes will be launched in due course, and we will publish more details on how these will work as soon as we are in a position to do so.The Government has worked with the lending industry and the regulators to prevent both homeowners and landlords from facing unaffordable bills or repossession if they can’t work, or if their tenants can’t pay rent due to the impact of coronavirus.Mortgage holidays have been extended, with applications open to 31 March 2021. Borrowers that have been impacted by coronavirus and have not yet had a mortgage payment holiday will be entitled to a six-month holiday, and those that have already started a mortgage payment holiday will be able to top up to six months without this being recorded on their credit file.  Current FCA guidance states all mortgage holidays must end by 31 July, so while no one can have more than a six-month deferral, any consumer applying now for their first payment holiday will not be able to take the full six months. Information on mortgage payment holidays is set out on the FCA website: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-confirms-support-mortgage-borrowers-impacted-coronavirusThe FCA has been clear that for borrowers who have taken six months’ holiday and continue to face ongoing financial difficulties, firms should continue to provide support through tailored forbearance options. This could include granting new mortgage payment holidays. Mortgage customers in this situation should speak to their lender to discuss their options.A mortgage holiday is not the right solution for everyone, and a prolonged payment deferral may not be in a consumer’s best interest - it is important to remember that whilst someone takes a payment holiday, they will still owe the amount they don’t pay during the deferral period, and interest will continue to accrue. Where consumers can afford to re-start mortgage payments, it is in their best interest to do so.

Vagrancy Act 1824

Lord Shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824.

Lord Greenhalgh: This is a complex issue and that is why a review is the right course of action and we are looking at all options.Work is ongoing and the Government will update on its findings in due course.

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of private renters with significant rent arrears since restrictions toaddress the COVID-19 pandemic were introduced; what assessment they have made of the figure of 800,000 with rent arrearsin England and Wales suggested by the National Residential Landlords Association; and what steps theyplan to take to prevent large-scale evictions once the protections put in place during the pandemic are lifted in England.

Lord Greenhalgh: The vast majority of tenants are meeting their rental commitments. Data from the English Housing Survey (EHS) Household Resilience Study June-July 2020 suggests that around 7% of private rented sector households are in rent arrears compared to around 3% pre-COVID. 5% of private renters had spoken to their landlords and agreed a rent holiday and a further 6% had spoken to their landlords and agreed a rent reduction.The NRLA also reported that 7% of renters have built up arrears, and that 91% of private renters have not built any arrears since March 2020.The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the wider package of economic support measures are supporting private renters to continue paying their rent. Local housing allowance (LHA) rates will be maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector will continue to benefit from the significant increase in the LHA rates applied in April 2020 in cash terms. Even in areas where rents have reduced and so the 30th percentile level has gone down, LHA rates will remain unchanged.  For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government will make available £140 million in DHP funding, which takes account of the increased LHA rates.

Local Government Finance: Poverty

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Fair Funding Review on the budgets of local authorities with high levels of deprivation; and what estimate they have made of the expected average change to the annual budgets of local authorities with high levels of deprivation following the implementation of the Fair Funding Review.

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Durham County Council may lose up to £14 million in its annual budget following the implementation of the Fair Funding Review.

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Durham County Council may lose up to £14 million in its annual budget following the implementation of the Fair Funding Review.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government announced in April that it would not proceed with the implementation of the Review of Relative Needs and Resources, and wider local government finance reform, in 2021-22. This decision was taken in the interest of creating stability for local authorities and has allowed both government and councils to focus on meeting the immediate public health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pressures of the pandemic recede, we will work with local government to understand the lasting impact it has had on both service demands and revenue raising. We will then revisit priorities for reform of the local government finance system, taking account of wider work on the future of business rates and Adult Social Care. No decisions have been taken from which to make assessments of how individual local authorities will be affected, and any final decisions will be taken in the context of this year’s Spending Review.

Housing: Construction

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) current housing targets, and (2) the effect of current housing targets on (a) communities, and (b) ecosystems; and what plans they have to reduce such housing targets.

Lord Greenhalgh: To help make home ownership affordable for more people, and to help more people rent their own home, we need to deliver more homes. Last year, we committed to review the standard method formula for assessing local housing need and consulted on how we could best balance the need for clarity, simplicity and transparency for local communities with the Government’s aspirations for the housing market. In December, following consultation, we changed the standard method to help enable the country to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. However, this is only the starting point in the process of planning for new homes, it is not a housing target. Local authorities will still need to consider the constraints they face locally, including environmental constraints, to assess how many homes can be delivered in their area.   Our Planning for the Future reforms propose significant changes to the focus and processes of planning – to secure better outcomes including improving our precious countryside and environment alongside increasing the supply of land for new, beautiful homes and sustainable places. The Environment Bill currently before Parliament will legislate for mandatory net gains for biodiversity as a condition of most new development. The planning system will support the implementation of this and overall environmental outcome enhancements.

Neighbourhood Development Plans

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what status a local government Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP)has in any consideration by aplanning inspector of an application that conflicts with the objectives of the NDP; and what guidance they have made available about the steps to take in the event of any suchconflict.

Lord Greenhalgh: Once adopted, neighbourhood plans become part of the development plan for the local area alongside the Local Plan. Planning law requires that decision takers, including planning inspectors, must determine planning applications in accordance with the development plan (including any neighbourhood plan) unless material considerations indicate otherwise. In addition, the National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that where a planning application conflicts with an up-to-date development plan (including any neighbourhood plan), permission should not usually be granted.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the prospectus for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and what criteria will be used in assessing bids.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework in the Spring  and confirm multi-year funding profiles at the next Spending Review.

Neighbourhood Development Plans

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what legislation gives authority to a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP); andwhether a NDP becomes invalid if there is no local plan which has already taken account of an NDP.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Localism Act 2011 effected amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, giving effect to Neighbourhood Plans. These amendments set out that once a neighbourhood plan is passed at referendum it becomes part of the development plan for the local area and the basis for decision-making. Planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The status of a neighbourhood plan as part of the development plan is unaffected by the absence of a Local Plan.

Housing: Construction

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the sustainability criteria of the National Home Building Fund will improve (1) food, (2) land, and (3) the environment, for communities across England.

Lord Greenhalgh: The National Home Building Fund (NHBF) is made up of programmes of spending which support the regeneration of brownfield sites, unlock homes through provision of infrastructure, and diversify the housing market through support for SMEs, self and custom builders and modern methods of construction. The primary objective of NHBF is to support proposals that will deliver new homes and unlock housing supply. We will set out further criteria for NHBF funding in due course.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 12 February (HL12939), what is the planned timetable for reaching a conclusion on the operating model for managing the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Lord Greenhalgh: Decisions on the operating model will be made in good time before the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre opens.

Religious Buildings: Planning

Lord Beith: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to consult church organisations covered by the Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (England) Order 2010 as part of the Planning for the Future consultation; andwhat plans they have to change the exemptions under that Order.

Lord Greenhalgh: Following the Planning for the Future White Paper consultation last year on changes to the planning system, the Government continues to engage with a wide range of stakeholders as we develop our detailed proposals. This includes reforms to the planning framework for listed buildings to ensure their significance is conserved while allowing, where appropriate, sympathetic changes to support their continued use and address climate change.

Housing: Rural Areas

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide incentives to commercial building firms to create housing developments that enhance the quality of life for rural and semi-rural communities.

Lord Greenhalgh: Our National Planning Policy Framework is clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances and support housing developments that reflect local needs, and that local planning authorities should also support opportunities to bring forward rural exception sites in rural areas. These are small sites which provide affordable housing to meet the identified local needs of rural communities, helping rural residents to remain in their communities.As we set out in our recent consultation on Changes to the Current Planning System, we intend to protect the important role that rural exception sites play in delivering affordable homes in rural areas, retaining rural exception sites as a vehicle for delivering affordable housing in designated rural areas. However, we recognise that this delivery mechanism is currently underused in many cases, and we will update planning guidance in due course.On top of this, our planning reforms intend to establish a clearer, quicker, and more accessible planning system. These reforms will improve the way new entrants and smaller businesses engage with the planning system, delivering the high quality and sustainable homes communities need.

World War II: Genocide

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Greenhalgh on 17 February (HL 13247), when (1) a decision will be taken to establish a chair of Holocaust Studies, and (2) an endowment fund will be established to support such studies; what estimates they have made of the costs of such a chair and endowment fund; and whether they continue to be committed tosuch aims, six years after the then-Prime Minister accepted those recommendations of the Holocaust Commission Report.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Holocaust Memorial Foundation continues to consider how best to deliver all the recommendations made in the Commission’s report Britain’s Promise to Remember.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Greenhalgh on 17 February (HL 13245), what environmental impact assessment was carried out before the choice of Victoria Tower Gardens as the site for the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre was made.

Lord Greenhalgh: A detailed assessment of the environmental impact was made as part of the planning application. The documents are available (attached) athttps://idoxpa.westminster.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=PL0CVYRP27O00assessment of the environmental impact (pdf, 1486.3KB)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Wolverhampton

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the planned new base for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in Wolverhampton will be comparable to the London base in (1) the number of staff employed, (2) the staff grading structure, and (3) the numbers of staff per salary grade.

Lord Greenhalgh: As the Department's second HQ, the Wolverhampton office will have a wide range of Civil Service roles and grades, including senior roles, and will also have a regular Ministerial presence.By 2025 the MHCLG Group will have 500 jobs based in the West Midlands region, and overall the MHCLG Group is moving a total of 800 roles out of London by the end of the decade, with a target to have half of the most senior roles based in the regions by 2030. As a result, the MHCLG London office will reduce by at least a quarter by 2025 but will remain our largest single office.The Department is, as a priority, conducting a search for suitable premises in the city and expects to be able to announce further information on the timetable for opening the office by the Summer.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 12 February (HL12940), what is the planned timetable for reaching a decision on the future management arrangements for Victoria Tower Gardens.

Lord Greenhalgh: Decisions on the future management arrangements for Victoria Tower Gardens will be taken in good time before the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre opens.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service: Finance

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 12 February (HL12938), how much private funding has been raised so far for the creation of the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Lord Greenhalgh: Firm pledges of private funding have not been sought in advance of planning permission.

Housing: Rural Areas

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to advance sustainable housing and community developments in rural and semi-rural areas in England; and how they are ensuring consistency with other national policies, including the National Planning Policy framework.

Lord Greenhalgh: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances and support housing developments that reflect local needs. We introduced neighbourhood planning in 2011 to enable local communities to have the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan. In addition, our rural exception sites policy in the National Planning Policy Framework allows for small scale affordable housing available in perpetuity to local people to come forward in rural areas outside of the local plan. As we set out in our recent consultation on Changes to the Current Planning System, we recognise that rural exception sites policy is currently underused in many cases, and we will update planning guidance in due course to encourage wider uptake of these sites.Our White Paper, Planning for the Future, proposes significant changes to the planning system to protect our precious countryside and environment alongside delivering the high-quality sustainable homes communities need. A Government response to these proposals will follow in the Spring.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 12 February (HL12784), whether an educational impact assessment has been carried out for the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and whether they have consulted the British Association of Holocaust Scholars on the content of the memorial and learning centre.

Lord Greenhalgh: As plans are developed for the content of the Learning Centre, the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation will continue to discuss progress with relevant organisations.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 12 February (HL12782), why they cannot confirm whether the Armenian genocide will be commemorated in the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre’s main focus is the Holocaust. The exhibition will address subsequent genocides but it is too early to decide what the detail of that content will be.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 12 February (HL12785), when theyplan to put in place a sustainable long-term plan for the management of the proposed UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Lord Greenhalgh: We will put in place a sustainable long-term plan in good time before the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre opens.

Parish Councils: Facilities

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toensure that in the case of specific funding schemesfor (1) parks, (2) play areas, (3) leisure facilities, (4) town centres, (5) high streets, (6) community centres, and (7) other facilities for which town and parish councils commonly exercise powers that are concurrent with those of principal councils, town and parish councils are able to apply or compete for funding on the same basis as principal councils.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that funding for COVID-19 recovery schemes in communities will be available to town and parish councils on the same basis as for principal councils.

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that funding for COVID-19 recovery schemes in communities will be available to town and parish councils on the same basis as for principal councils.

Lord Greenhalgh: Whilst the Government does not have the necessary powers to pay parish and town councils directly, the Secretary of State has written to principal authorities to urge them to discuss appropriate funding support for parish and town councils from within the support we have provided to them. The Government has allocated over £8 billion directly to principal authorities since the start of the pandemic and has committed to provide a further £3 billion for 2021/22.Therefore, I would encourage parish and town councils to continue to liaise with the relevant principal authorities on how this money is allocated in their area.

Housing: Construction

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what direct support they plan to provide to (1) local authorities, (2) building firms, (3) housing associations, and (4) others, to create sustainable housing developments in England.

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what indirect support is available to (1) local authorities, (2) building firms, and (3) others, to create sustainable housing developments; what steps they are taking to advertise such indirect support; and whether it will be presented in a consolidated form to assist potential developers.

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what indirect support is available to (1) local authorities, (2) building firms, and (3) others, to create sustainable housing developments; what steps they are taking to advertise such indirect support; and whether it will be presented in a consolidated form to assist potential developers.

Lord Greenhalgh: This Government provides direct and indirect support to a wide range of stakeholders, including developers, and delivery partners to ensure the 1 million homes we want to see built over this Parliament are high-quality and consistent with our commitment to net zero.Through the National Planning Policy Framework, we empower local authorities to make place-based decisions to best reflect local needs and the importance of sustainable development. The revised Framework, which is currently out for consultation, makes a number of changes to strengthen environmental policies, and introduces climate change adaptation and mitigation as part of sustainable development.The Construction Leadership Council, which is jointly chaired by industry and the BEIS Construction Minister, works with and supports the wider construction industry. The Green Construction Board, the sustainability work stream of the Construction Leadership Council, has worked with industry, experts and Government officials to produce recommendations on sustainable new homes and the retrofit of existing housing. Homes England also plays an important role in supporting the housing sector to deliver more sustainable homes and places.The Government also provides direct support to the delivery of high-quality housing. For example, my Department is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and is investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over five years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country and leverage £38 billion of private investment. All homes built through the programme must meet current building regulations and the Decent Homes standard. Through our new £11.5 billion programme we will be incentivising Providers to build well-designed places by building the National Design Guide into our scoring criteria for Strategic Partnerships.The forthcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy, will set out further actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings, while continuing to deliver greater numbers of safe and affordable new homes.

Department for Work and Pensions

Disability: Surveys

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many responses to the Cabinet Office Disability Unit’s National Strategy for Disabled People survey they received within (1) the first, (2) the second, and (3) the third, week of the survey’s launch; and when they plan to publish the key findings of this survey.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish (1) the arrangements, and (2) the methodology, for analysing responses to the Cabinet Office Disability Unit’s National Strategy for Disabled People survey; and what assessment they have made of the time required for this analysis per thousand responses.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish (1) the arrangements, and (2) the methodology, for analysing responses to the Cabinet Office Disability Unit’s National Strategy for Disabled People survey; and what assessment they have made of the time required for this analysis per thousand responses.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reasonable adjustments they have made to ensure that the timeline for disabled people to respond to the Cabinet Office Disability Unit’s National Strategy for Disabled People survey takes into account the extra time that it will take some respondents to complete the survey on account of their disability.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reasonable adjustments they have made to ensure that the timeline for disabled people to respond to the Cabinet Office Disability Unit’s National Strategy for Disabled People survey takes into account the extra time that it will take some respondents to complete the survey on account of their disability.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish in one document all the questions in the Cabinet Office’s National Strategy for Disabled People Citizen Space Survey.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish in one document all the questions in the Cabinet Office’s National Strategy for Disabled People Citizen Space Survey.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government is committed to transforming the lives of disabled people, and will publish the National Strategy for Disabled People this year. It will be informed by insights from the lived experience of disabled people, and will focus on the issues that disabled people say are most important across all aspects of life. On Friday 15th January, we launched the online UK Disability Survey, which complements the range of engagement already undertaken and ongoing, including lived experience research with disabled people, discussions with the Disabled Charities Consortium, the Regional Stakeholder Networks and others. Contributions to the survey will feed not only into the development of the strategy but also its delivery. The survey questions were also included in the Easy Read document published online on the survey page (link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-in-the-uk-survey). The key findings and analysis of the survey will be published in due course.